Melvin Guillard (22-8-2 MMA, 5-4 UFC) would like to introduce himself to you.

That may seem a little silly as he prepares to make his 10th appearance for the UFC, but Guillard insists “The Young Assassin” that will step into the cage with Ronnys Torres (14-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) for Saturday night’s UFC 109 event in Las Vegas is unlike any version of him you’ve ever seen before.

Not all that long ago, looking back would have been just fine for Guillard. After all, the New Orleans native and Houston resident was riding a three-fight win streak into his September 2009 fight with Nate Diaz. And Guillard appeared effective in the early going of that bout – until a mental lapse left him tapping out from a guillotine choke with no one to blame but himself.

“I look at it as a mental mistake,” Guillard admitted. “In my planning for that fight, I was never supposed to take Diaz down to the ground. The fight was supposed to stay on the feet, and I was supposed to stay on the feet.”

Instead, a brief moment of confusion between the first and second round left Guillard mentally ill-prepared for the next frame.

“After the first ended, I went to my corner,” Guillard said. “I had blood all over me, but I didn’t even know I had a small cut. I thought I just cut Diaz. The cutman comes in, and he’s telling my coaches to move out of the way so he can work on the cut. I was like, ‘Cut? What cut?’

“Instead of taking the time to really gain my composure and catch my breath and be able to go back out fresh, I started the second round, and I was still a little winded. I never had a chance to catch my breath back. I kind of danced around a little bit and tried to stay away from him so I could take a couple of deep breaths. In doing that, I just went for a blind shot. That shot was never supposed to happen.”

It was, quite simply, a mental error.

It’s the type of mistake that has plagued Guillard throughout his career. The potent striker’s athleticism and physical talents have never been up for debate. Rather, it has always been Guillard’s lack of mental focus.

Enter renowned MMA trainer Greg Jackson.

“I think with Coach Greg, it’s the way he comes off in the mental part of the game,” Guillard said. “He’s a sentimental-type guy. He has that approach like, ‘We’re going to do this. This is the gameplan.’ Just the way that he talks to you and the way he gives you that respect – not only as a fighter, but as a person and a man – it’s phenomenal.

“I’m not taking anything from Coach Saul (Soliz). When I was with Coach Saul in Houston, I had a good run. Training was good. I was able to keep afloat in the UFC. But Coach Jackson just takes it to a whole new level.”

Guillard prepared for Torres at Jackson’s New Mexico training facility, and the lightweight contender plans on making the camp his permanent home. And as time goes on, Guillard believes fans will see the difference.

“When we’re preparing for a fight, it’s hard to learn something new,” Guillard said. “We can only prepare. Once I start going up there and I don’t have a fight, then I can start learning and getting better at new stuff.”

But for now, Guillard will have to focus solely on Torres. The Brazilian Nova Uniao fighter is a submission wizard, and Guillard admits that is the one part of his game that is obviously lacking.

Torres is just the latest submission specialist that Guillard has faced, and he realizes the importance of defeating that style of opponent.

“I think (UFC matchmaker) Joe Silva has it out for me,” Guillard joked. “No, it’s not frustrating. That’s the one hole in my game, and once I can convincingly start beating these jiu-jitsu guys, then that sets the mark for me as one of the greatest fighters. Even before I win a title, I can be labeled one of the greatest fighters if I can take out some of the guys that are very, very great and good at submission.

“They can keep feeding me whoever – whether it’s a striker or a jiu-jitsu guy. The best part of it is, it gives me more of an opportunity to win knockout bonuses because I don’t have to stand in front of a guy I think can knock me out. I’m going to stand in front of guys that I know just want to take me down and don’t want nothing to do with my standup.”

Guillard will certainly carry the more effective striking game into the matchup. And with Torres fighting for the first time in the UFC, Guillard believes he’ll be able to impose his will.

“Torres is going to be a tough fight, but everybody knows that when fighters step into the octagon for the first time, they’re nervous,” Guillard said. “They don’t really execute well.

“Working with these guys I’m preparing with, I’m not nervous. I could have gone into this fight without watching any film on this guy. As long as I’m mentally ready to go in and be in good physical condition, I can beat anybody standing in front of me.”

Guillard truly believes that if he can raise his mental focus to the level of his physical gifts, no one will be able to stop him. And with Jackson, Guillard now believes he knows how to get there.

“Mentally, as your game gets stronger, you feel invincible,” Guillard said. “I’ve been walking around like I’m on top of the world out there.

“I’m not even going to dwell on the past. I’m just going to wipe my slate clean and just keep progressing from here. I know for a fact that if I stay with Coach Jackson, I’ll be a world champion within two years.”

For complete coverage of UFC 109, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

John Morgan is the lead staff reporter for MMAjunkie.com and an MMA contributor for The Dallas Morning News.

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